Arthur "Artie" Maddicks is a mute mutant telepath who communicates by telepathically projecting images. Artie is best known as the sidekick and best friend of Leech. He was depowered due to the events of M-Day.

Origin

Artie with Dr. Carl Maddicks

A brilliant scientist known by the name of Carl Maddicks had a son named Arthur "Artie" Maddicks. Shortly after he started his job at Ryan Research, Maddicks was informed that his ex-wife had died. As a result of his ex-wife's death, he was given custody of his son, Artie. Artie then 11 years old was a mutant, whose was horribly deformed when his powers manifested, in addition to gaining mental projection abilities. Furthermore, Artie was also rendered mute, unable to speak as a side effect of his mutations altering the speech center of his brain.

Dr Maddicks made his it personal goal to fix his son's appearance. He would use the Ryan Research labs where he worked, secretly, to find a cure. He tried multiple times to find the right chemical mixture, but was unsuccessful in the end. He knew who could help though. He remembers Hank McCoy back when he was with Brand Corp, and the mutation chemicals that Beast was working on. Desperately, Maddicks hire the mutant known as Tower to kidnap Beast. Once Beast was brought to Maddicks he would be forced to aid in the experiments. Though at first not willing to help but soon changed his mind when he realized it was a child at stake. They began to discuss the calculations and got to work immediately. To make the process more efficient, Artie used his telepathic powers to conjure the image of the calculations, from his father mind, and made a project the image in front of Beast. Artie then repeated the process in reverse, taking the thoughts from Beast mind and showing Dr. Maddicks. They eventually found the error and immediately created the correct chemical. When completed, Maddicks tested it on Beast, who narrowly survived, but did return to his original state appearing as a human. Tower, no longer needed left assuming he would continue with his normal daily grind. This didn't happen. X-Factor the whole time was looking for Beast, and they caught wind of the fact that Tower was involved in Beast's disappearance. Once question, WITH FORCE, he revealed the location of Beast. X-Factor quickly arrived, after passing through Maddicks' formidable defenses they find Beast on a table injured. While checking on Beast, security from Ryan Research showed up in force. Dr. Maddicks fearing for his son's inhuman-appearance would lead to him being injured, Maddicks sent him away with X-Factor. When the guards arrived, Maddicks shot at them, causing them to return fire, presumably killing him. Artie witnesses his father's death via mental projection and is devastated. This would be a major turning point in Artie's Life.

Creation

Artie is a young mutant who made his debut more than 20 years ago in X-Factor #2, in March of 1986. Artie was unable to speak; through creative use of his mutant power, he was able to project telepathic images to get his points across. Artie was known for his oddly-shaped head and as the pink-skinned best friend of Leech. In fact, one is more likely to see the names of Artie and Leech together than separately. Artie's introduction eventually led to Beast re-gaining his blue fur. He was created by Bob Layton and Jackson Guice.

Mayor Story Arcs

Going with X-Factor

Artie went back with X-Factor to their base of operations called Ship, actually a millennia old space vessel created by the Celestials, it was also a one time base of Apocalypse. While there he met and befriended the other young mutants that X-Factor rescued including: the pyrokinetic Rusty, the frictionless force field wielding Skids and the seismic wave generating Rictor. This group of mutants along with Artie would eventually be known as the X-Terminators, though that would be later. Quickly bonding with Rusty and becoming good friends. It’s because of this same bond that would eventually lead to Artie's initial encounter with Leech. Rusty went missing and due to Artie's bond he had actually created a psychic link with him allowing him to track him and find his friend. This "link" took him to tunnel and continued to guide him until his link broke and the image he had projected pop and faded away. Looking directly in front of him was a shadowy image no taller then Artie himself, even harder to see because they were still in the shadow. When the other person came forward it was the Morlocks member by the name of Leech. Not being afraid of Leech, Artie followed him.

Lost and afraid Artie was just grateful that he wasn't alone in the dark tunnels, and it was apparent that the other young mutant Leech was very familiar with the place. This put Artie at ease a little and made him forget what he was there for in the first place. Leech ended up taking Artie to the central area where he lived at along with the rest of the Morlocks. He passed several interesting looking individual head towards another mutant by the name of Caliban. Artie was welcomed with open arms. Not having the ability to leave and not really wanting to he decided to stay. In that short time built a strong friendship (one that would last for a long time)and became best friends with Leech. It is here that he also found the mutant named Annalee. Annalee had lost her children when they died and always wanted more. She was a caring woman who would become a mother-figure to both Artie and Leech. Leech for the first time was happy. He didn't care that his appearance was "different," no one cared in the Morlock community. He found a best friend in Leech, a mother in Annalee, and a family in the Morlocks. This would be a fleeting moment for him though.

Not too long after Artie arrived in the Morlock Tunnels, Mr. Sinister would plan and execute an attack that would nearly eradicate the entire Morlocks population. Mr. Sinister's team of genetically cloned mutant, the Marauders, entered and killed everything in sight. Luckily both Artie and his new best friend Leech would be rescued and returned to Ship. Although Artie was not physically injured he would still feel pain. One of the Morlocks, Annalee, had taken on the role as mother to Artie and he had become very attached to her. She would not survive the night, brutally being killed by one of the Marauders in the battle. Once the warring was over, X-Factor would take their wards and attempt to reclaim normalcy once again. This would be interrupted by the evil that is Apocalypse.

Ship, as their flying headquarters was named, did not actually belong to X-Factor, they were simply using it. The true owner was the ancient mutant known as Apocalypse. While in his possession he had placed fail safes into the massive construct that would activate when other attempted to use it. This is exactly what happened to the currently residents when the returned to their base on one unsuspecting day. X-Factor and their wards inadvertently activated a bomb that, once detonated, would destroy Ship and all that were aboard. Artie somehow was lured to the core of the floating headquarters and in conjunction with his instructors and fellow students he was able to translate text that showed him how to remove the bomb. In the nick of time the mutants were effectively able to remove the bomb and release it into the sky were it would explode harmlessly. Successful they may have been, these events would force X-Factor to make dramatic changes that would affect their charges incredibly.

As a whole the members of X-Factor no longer wished to use X-Factor as a front for protecting mutants. Initially they had created the team publicly using the name X-Terminators. They sold themselves to the general public as hunter hunters. They had used a ruse claiming they were mutant hunters as it was easier for them to be accepted. Instead though they would rescue the mutants and protect them. Some of them were mere children with nowhere to go. With them, they would allow them to stay with X-Factor (which was their true name) and train them in the use of their powers. Unfortunately, these actions only increased tension between humans and mutants. This was like working backwards. This was a huge reason for the disbanding of X-Factor or the X-Terminators, as it were. The other reason was that the students were more and more becoming involved in life threatening situations that followed X-Factor. It was simply too dangerous for them the students to stay any longer. X-Factor would decide to send them to schools. They separated their wards and had them sent to different schools that specialized in the learning needs that some of their wards had. Artie and Leech would end up at St. Simone Academy that specialized in teaching individuals with speech and learning disabilities. Jean Grey would deliver them to the school personally and would leave them. None of the students of X-Factor were happy about this, especially Artie and Leech. They became so close they considered themselves as somewhat of a team Occasionally using the name X-Terminators as a nod to their instructors. Saddened, Artie thought that he would never see his friends again but he couldn't be more wrong.

Shortly after arriving at the new school Artie and Leech would find and, after a while, befriend another student name Takashi "Taki" Matsuya. Though it was a rough start at first they became fast friends. They even were able to deduce that he too was a mutant technopath, which only helped matters. Wiz-Kid as they would call him would become very protective of his new friends, always coming to their aid when needed. This wouldn't be more evident then when the events of Inferno began to unfold and Artie would be caught in the middle of it.

The Inferno & the X-Terminators redux

The evil demon N'Astrih had created an evil scheme which if successful would make him the ruler of the Earth dimension. He wished to open a permanent dimensional rift between Earth and his world Limbo, a hell dimension, through use of a magical spell. Once done he would take over Earth with his countless demon followers. His spell was very powerful and would require the life essences of 13 small children/babies. He would send two of his demon to search Earth for them. These demons would find themselves drawn to St. Simone's, specifically to Artie and Leech. The demons could smell the power that the young mutants had, because of their powers. They broke in and were in the middle of abducting both Artie and Leech, when their would-be savior Wiz-Kid intervened. Wiz-Kid held his for a short while, but was over powered and knocked out, Once he woke, he realized that his friends were gone. He knew he had to do something or else his friends would be gone forever. And something he did,

Wiz-Kid would contact and pick up all of the X-Factor wards and together they would go and rescue their abducted friends. Once together the wards would rechristen themselves and the X-Terminators and head out at once. Elsewhere within dark catacombs, Artie and Leech were presented to N'Astriah and he would find them too old for the spell. Saving them for later, he was going to feed the two young mutants to his demons if they were successful in their master's ploy.

The X-Terminators eventually met and teamed up with the New Mutants and combined efforts to save Artie and Leech. During the first battle Wiz-kid, too, captured to be exploited for his powers. Eventually though, the two groups would finally save Artie and his two friends and, for a short time, put a topper on N'Astriah's plan. Once all of them were united, they also had to care for the babies that were to be used in the spell. After all was said and done, the X-Terminators would, once again, disband. Artie, Leech and Wiz-Kid would head back to school. The other would join the New Mutants team and go with them.

Back at St. Simone's, the young trio would have a couple of more off the wall adventures but mostly it was rather uneventful. They event attempted to defend the school from an attack from the Alliance of Evil, which ended unsuccessfully. Though it did led to a brief reunion with some of their old friends in the New Mutants. Then Gene Nation group would arrive and abduct Artie and Leech and the X-Men would be forced to step in to save them.

Generation X & the Daydreamers

Generation X

After Artie and Leech were rescued, Professor X would decide to have them stay with the students of Generation X. While their, they would continue their studies, but it would be safer for them. Wiz-Kid would not come with them though. While at the Massachusetts Academy with Generation X, they regularly stayed in the Danger Grotto in a tree house built for them by Synch and Skin. After the attack from Onslaught their duo would once again become a trio.

Franklin Richards, the mutant son of Invisible Woman and Mr. Fantastic of the Fantastic Four, would be sent to the school and a new team would be formed. Together they called themselves the Daydreamers. A fire in the Danger Grotto from an attack from Black Tom Cassidy and the unlikely arrival of Man-Thing, Howard the Duck, Tana Nile and Beverly Switzler would have them sent on an unexpected journey. They would go on several adventures and then the team would come to an end. This would be due to Franklin going back with his parents. This would be followed by yet another event at the school, the death of Synch. The school would be shut down and the students would go their separate ways. Artie, Leech, the M Twins (Claudette and Nicole) and Hollow (then known as Penance) would be sent with M's father in Monaco for their safety. This would be one of the last times that Artie would ever be mentioned.

M-day and beyond

After the events of M-Day, over 98% of the world's mutants would awaken and find themselves depowered. Many were affected, and Artie was one of them. He was no longer a mutant anymore. His whereabouts after this are unknown.

After M-Day

He recently went to his friend Franklin's birthday party along with Leech; at the party, he was given a key to enter the building and an invitation to live with the "fantastic" family. Franklin also gave him a present made by his sister Val. The present was a machine that goes on Artie's head and allowed him to project his thoughts once more. As they gave Artie the present, Val said, "I know you've had trouble communicating since you lost your projection powers... This should be able to help with that. Just concentrate." Artie put the helmet on and a hologram of the Fantastic Four appeared.

Powers

Depowered, formerly: after M-Day

The projection machine given by Val Richards replicates his lost mutant projection power.

Artie possessed multiple psychic and telepathic-based powers

Psionic Pictograms:

Psionic pictograms and glowing eyes

Artie projects holograms of his thoughts. Usually he uses his power to communicate, because he is mute. However, he can make large-scale holograms as a means of defense. Artie can also tap into and project the thoughts of other people, at times on the scale of a city's population.

Mind Lock:

Able to paralyze others mentally and physically, although his control was very limited and easily disrupted.

Telepathy:

Artie has limited telepathy, able to read the minds of other's.

MindLink (possible psychic rapport):

Artie can create a telepathic "mindlink" with another human being, through which he can read that person's mind and scan his memories. With mindlink in effect he is also able to track that person.

Others

When Artie uses his powers, he usually is surrounded by a white aura, and his eyes glow iridescent.

Characteristics

Artie's appearance became pink when his mutant powers manifested. Artie is also mute as a result of his mutations altering the speech center of his brain.

Artie

Gender: Male

Height: 4’2”

Weight: 68 lbs.

Eyes: White, with no visible pupils.

Hair: No hair, as a result of mutation.

Unusual Features: Pink skin, bulbous head that is larger then average human head.

Additionally: Although Artie is usually represented as a small child, Artie was 11 when his mutancy first manifested.

Alternative Realities

Other Media

X-Men Movies

Bryce Hodgson

Bryce Hodgson represents Artie in both X2 and X-men: The Last Stand. Artie's movie appearance in the movies is that of an average size child. The only noticeable mutation though is his dark green forked tongue.

X-Men 2: X-Men United

Stryker's list of names

In X2 Artie's name also appears on the list of names Mystique scrolls through on William Stryker's computer while looking for Magneto's file. He is also one of the children captured by Stryker's men. In act III Wolverine confronts William Stryker for the last time while carrying Artie.

X-Men 3: The Last Stand

Artie's role in X-Men: The Last Stand, was much less than in the previous movie. He only appears as an extra in the school from time to time, though his name is still mentioned in the credits.

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